Fate/Grand Order Story and Lore (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

[Bobin]

They just couldn't avoid making the seiyuu reference.

[ALM]

I think Bryn has a new line, for Arthur.

[Magikewl]

"I'm troubled......Arthur-sama is too gentle. I'm troubled......"


same girl same

[asterism42]

Obvs, since she's crazy for him in Fragments.

I assume he's Brynhildr's Beloved.

[fallacies]

Translation dump for things related to Nero. Grey text is not by me.

Spoiler:

EXTRA CCC: BB Servant Matrix

01 The Chalice of Gold : [EX]

The Chalice of Gold (黄金の杯, Ougon no Hai) within BB's possession. A Holy Grail. A Grail Inverted (負の聖杯, Fu no Seihai, lit. "negative Holy Grail"), shamelessly employed to realize the arbitrary desires of its holder.

This was the Grail held by the Whore of Babylon (バビロンの大妖婦, Babiron no Taiyoufu, lit. "the Great Demonic Whore of Babylon") in the Revelation of John. Though it is indeed a false Grail, precisely owing to its counterfeit, it makes as reality the wishes of Man irrelevant of good or ill, manifesting as an "authentic" Holy Grail.

To the Christians of its period, who held asceticism as a virtue, a Chalice cast of a material so emblematic of wealth as gold could only hold the meaning of corrupt opulence and avarice, and the falsehoods that come to clothe the self-exalted.

Though it is perhaps evident merely as of the description of the Chalice as being borne within the hand of the Whore of Babylon -- the very embodiment of the Roman Empire -- the Chalice is explicitly an inversion of "lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth," which was by Christ uttered within his sermons; it symbolizes 'the wealth of the earth.'

◆

"I saw a woman who sat astride a scarlet-coloured Beast;
the flesh of this Beast was writ with countless names that blaspheme against the Lord;
and it bore seven heads and ten horns."

So speaks the Book of Revelations of the Beast of Destruction (滅びの獣, Horobi no Kemono) that descended upon the Holy City (聖都, Seito) and of the woman who sat astride this Beast. The immense Beast, like to a Hydra of seven heads, appeared of the sea, taking to land at the Holy City, it is said. The Beast and the Woman are as two that is one, and cannot be contemplated in separation.

The woman is that which births forth all that is evil, and those who are short-sighted and entrenched in desire cannot her allure defy; by her Chalice, they come to be abased.

And though this would be a digression, it is said that the Red Saber that claims herself as an Emperor was upon her death seen as one to the Beast by the enmity of the faithful.

Curiously, though the bit about Nero being identified with the Beast of 666 also appears in Nero's in-game Servant Profile in FGO, it isn't at all mentioned in FGO Material I.

For purposes of comparison, an older translation that I found. Source unknown.

Golden Grail [EX]

The golden grail that BB possesses. The Holy Grail. The Holy Grail that grants its owner's impudent and selfish desires.
The grail that the great enchantress who appears in The Revelation of St. John the Divine holds. Though it's a counterfeit Holy Grail, it's because that it's a counterfeit Holy Grail that it's become a "genuine" Holy Grail that grants the desires of humans without paying heed to right or wrong.
To the Christians of those days, who considered honorable poverty a virtue, this grail, which was formed as a symbol of treasures such as gold, is no doubt the meaning of corrupt wealth, greed, and the vanity that leads one to adorn oneself.
Though it is clear on the occasion that this grail is held by the great enchantress of Babylon which in the personification of the Roman Empire, this grail symbolizes the wealth of the earth, which is the inversion of Christ's words, "Do not pile up the wealth of the earth."
"I saw a single woman astride a red beast. This beast, whose entire body was full of numerous blasphemous names, had seven heads and ten horns."
This is the description of the beast of destruction that appeared in the Holy City and the woman who was straddling this beast, according to the book of Revelation. A large beast with seven heads like a hydra came from the sea and disembarked toward the Holy City. This beast and woman, while two, are as one, and it is impossible to think of them separately.
It is said that this woman was born from evil, and those who are quick to anger, those who are greedy, cannot resist her allure and become corrupted by that grail.
This is a digression, but it is sad that the red Saber who claims the title of emperor was, after her death, was seen by believers to be on par with this beast.

FGO - MyRoom - Nero

The Holy Grail ... ? Uuh, that name is not to my liking ... My headache has gotten worse. Please speak not of this!

Even though Nero never showed any particular reaction to the name of the Holy Grail in the Extraverse, the Nero that the player summons in Grand Order says that she gets a headache when she hears the phrase.

2nd Singularity, Chapter 12:

＠　Alexander

Well spoken!
Such is the answer that I have sought by every means to hear.
I acknowledge you. Let that you may become a King (覇王, haou, lit. "king that obtains supremacy," as via conquering).
Nay, an Emperor! You are so qualified, are you not?
Rose that calls forth glory and prosperity!
The Sin (業, gou, lit. "karma") carried by Man alone; the Beast (獣, kemono) that bears the Number of the Fall (堕落の数字, daraku no suuji)!
Indeed, you are fit even to become the King of the Demons (魔王, maou)!

Iskander (young) refers to Nero as a King of Demons. The Number of the Fall is probably 666? Though it isn't referred to that way in English.

2nd Singularity, Chapter 13:

＠　Dr. Roman

Mashu, Gudako-chan. Please be careful.
There's no telling what'll happen if you come across the holder of the Grail.
Last time, the power of the Grail was used to summon forth the Draconic Breed (竜種, Ryuu-Shu).
We can't assume that its capabilities this time around will be restricted to the summoning of Heroic Spirits.
And also --
Wait. Servant signature detected.
They're close. You should be able to see them just ahead!

＠　？？？

... O valiant ones.
Truly, you are brave.
I expected as much of the current ruler of Roma.

＠　Nero

Mu --

＠　Mashu

I have visual confirmation.
An individual of extremely large stature has appeared near the entrance of the palace.
He is approaching our location, and he's ... offered his salutations.
It appears that Nero-san has heard him as well.

＠　Dr. Roman

His voice can reach you even at that distance -- all the way across a battlefield?
As expected of a Servant. Even his vocal cords exceed human capacity.

＠　？？？

I see.
So you are the one called Nero.
What charm; what grace; what brilliance!
Heartfully, I commend as well that you have with such slender arms alone upheld Roma.
Come; walk with me.
Past, present, future.
May that all of which is Roma grant you its love.

＠　Nero

What ...
What is ...
That's ... n- no ...
Is such a thing ... is this, even, alright ...
No, no ... but ...

＠　Mashu

Nero-san?
Her face has lost its color. It seems as if she's been affected by some sort of magecraft --

＠　Dr. Roman

No, I'm not detecting the activity of thaumaturgical energy.
It shouldn't be anything along the lines of magecraft or a Servant Skill.

＠　Mashu

In that case, what exactly is --

---

＠　Gudako

１： Do you know this man?

＠　Nero

Th- this is ...

---

＠　Gudako

２： Why are you so scared?

＠　Nero

Scared ... ?
We are ... you ask what frightens us ... ?

---

＠　Nero

We are the Emperor of Roma ...
Indeed, Roma ...
Roma ...
That is ... that illustrious one is ...
Even at a glance ... we could recognize him ...
It is he that would be ...
Roma itself ...

＠　？？？

And you should know it well.
O Nero.
Walk with me.
It is fine that you return unto Roma (Myself), beloved child.
I am Roma (Myself).
It is indeed Roma (Myself) that heads the Imperial Federation.
You as well are free to join.
It is accepted. The entirety of your being shall be by Roma (Myself) accepted.
Even the Beast that dwells within you shall be by Roma (Myself) embraced.
It is after all only Roma (Myself) that is capable of doing so.
Indeed --
I am Roma.

＠　Nero

A, aa ....
Thou art ... no, you are ...
It is only you that we cannot here accept ...
We ...
We believed it to be so ...
We trusted that it was such; desired so to trust ...
But do you as well intend to stand now within our path!?
You, who art unmistakably the Founding King of Rome!?
The Divine Ancestor Romulus .... !?

Romulus refers to Nero as a Beast.

Nero Interlude:

＠　Nero

Sorry to trouble you, Gudako.
We have summoned you on this occasion entirely as a matter of personal business.
... the Federation of the Emperors is defeated,
and Roma has again attained a transient peace.
However, the one who guides Roma as her princeps civitatis ...
Nero Claudius is already departed.
Or rather, more correctly, the Nero that lived as a human is no longer.
Such is the result of our contract with Gudako.
She who once as a human existed is per the fact of history is departed now from Roma.
She who presently occupies the seat of the Imperator stands now before you.

＠　Mashu

The Restorative Force (修復力, Shuufuku-Ryoku) of the Era (時代, Jidai) ... no, the Corrective Force (修正力, Shuusei-Ryoku).
Because the Nero-san who is a Servant is extant within this time period,
it would be strange if the Emperor Nero weren't already deceased.
In normal space-time, a living person can coexisting with an iteration of themselves that's become a Servant after passing on,
but within the context of a Singularity (特異点, Tokuiten), "that which is presently appropriate" and "that which is of greater potency" holds priority.
Thus, as of Sempai's contract with the Heroic Spirit Nero,
the "Nero-san" that lived within Septem was replaced by the "Nero-san" before us ...

---

＠　Gudako

１： 'Was replaced by' is unnecessary, Mashu.

＠　Mashu

... sorry. I misspoke.
Though I truly didn't mean anything by it ...
My sincere apologies, Lord Nero.

＠　Nero

'Tis no issue. That which provoked Mashu's melancholy
is the passing of the we who was, yes?
If such be the case, we forgive you. Rather, we are thankful.
We thank that Mashu would mourn the passing of we who were reputed merely to be a tyrant.

---

＠　Gudako

２： Is that necessarily a bad thing?

＠　Mashu

Ah ... that's right. Sorry that I misspoke, Lord Nero.
I wasn't being considerate of company,
and so I've said something incredibly negative ...
Lord Nero -- no, Nero-san. I didn't mean to imply that there was anything wrong with you being present in Roma like this.
I thank you for honoring us with your presence, Imperator.

＠　Nero

Umu, Mashu is a good and honest girl!
In guilt, you offer condolences,
and express your joy upon elation!
On account of the smile that you just now displayed, I shall deign to forgive the darkness of your words!
Indeed, should you truly wish to express your apologies, I permit that you accompany me to the baths upon our return!

---

＠　Nero

... and with that, we've gone astray.
It would appear that in Gudako's presence, we are excessively relaxed.
But to speak it forthright, we have on this occasion come to Septem for a certain purpose;
we desire that our Master would lend us her aid.
You recall that during your previous visit, a leg of our travels was conducted by ship?
We happened at the time to overhear a certain rumor.
Beyond the perimeter of Rome, there is said to lie a cursed waste haunted by a Wraith (亡霊, bourei).
We have our suspicions regarding the nature of the Wraith in question.
Though it may be that we are abusing our standing as a Servant to better fulfill the obligations of our station,
understand that we act in ignorance of the time at which our contract is to end, or when again we shall depart.
... thus, before then,
we wish that by our hand, we might put a close to one amongst the sorrows of Rome.

＠　Gudako

１： If it's something like that, I'd be happy to help.

＠　Nero

-- umu.
We leave ourself to your care, O contractor.

＠　Mashu

... the sun's setting, Sempai.
Even though the landscape is familiar, it feels very lonely ...
... almost like an uninhabited world;
a stage that everyone's forgotten ...

＠　Nero

...

＠　Gudako

１： Is it really around here?
２： You said that you have suspicions?

＠　Nero

Umu, it is indeed somewhere near.
The form of the stones; the sound of the wind; the withering tint of the twilight sun.
The entirety of this place is engraved within our recollection;
the doom of a certain Emperor, whose path did in this empty waste reach its end.

＠　Mashu

--!
Nero-san, this is --

＠　Nero

Umu. 'Tis indeed the place of my death.
Here did Nero Claudius pierce herself through the throat.
For her people, Nero bore the utmost devotion.
It was a love in the manner of a flame, ever burning for all to witness --
but not of a variety that could be characterized as 'warmth.'
It was a love that demanded in the extreme; bestowed in the extreme; that moldered in the extreme.
Such was the only avenue by which Nero knew to express her devotions.
'Twas excessively obtrusive, it might be said --
and to the people, it was as a poison;
Nero was, to the end, unable to recognize this.
By a certain error of judgment, she eroded her standing,
and was driven from the Seat of the Imperator by the designs of the Senate.
The military turned against her -- and yet Nero still believed:
for in her mind, the citizens to which she had so dedicated herself would inevitably come to her defense.
... the outcome of such goes without saying.
The citizens offered no salvation to the foolish tyrant.
Escaping from her pursuers,
Nero chose in sorrow to end her life.
-- as to the matter of Nero's sorrows, we shall not here detail.
Simply, her life came in this place to its terminus.
... and yet,
Nero could not so easily die;
could not so easily bring herself unto death.
... with her throat in agony; a breast full of anguish; and eyes ablaze,
those final days were as a time cut adrift to the currents of fever.
Escaping the sight of her pursuers,
Nero thrice welcomed the sunset.
It was only as the sun inclined upon the horizon that Nero came to consciousness;
for from afar, she could faintly make out the sound of voices calling to her.
These were the voices of her beloved citizens.
The Emperor Nero is blameless, they said;
and they chanted in Nero's praise.
Fufu. Truly, indignity is upon indignity piled.
Nowhere could such adulation exist; nowhere has it ever existed.
... but even so,
so as perhaps to know her folly, Nero parted her eyes.
Upon the first twilight, she derided the absurdity of her illusions.
Upon the second, she chewed her lips at the voices unheard.
And then, upon the third twilight --

＠　Mashu

... yes.
There, the Emperor Nero left her final words.
When the legionnaires that had been set upon her found her body,
they took pity that her flesh had been left to the battering of the elements, and so covered her with a cloth.
The Emperor Nero awakened then, and spoke:
"Too late! But, ah, what fidelity!"

＠　Gudako

１： ...

＠　Nero

Umu. Our fate came there to its severance.
That which in those final moments entered Nero's mind
is in truth to us unclear.
But Nero had by then obtained her solace.
Though it had come not by the hand of her beloved citizens --
as of the drawing of the curtain upon her final hour, she was able to recieve of the warmth of humanity;
and so the tyrant was heartened.
This is the Deus Ex Machina that appears even now within our dreams.
A "happily ever after" visited upon the ending of this tale, irrespective of its unlikelihood;
a final miracle.
Had those legionnaires not arrived, it is likely that I would have even now remained adrift,
awaiting yet within these wilds a voice that could never be.
Thus and therefore,
we are by obligation bound to cut you down!
Dream of the tyrant that wanders yet the empty waste!
Bloom of prosperity that has forgotten of wilting!
We shall have you make your exit here, mine Wraith!
Manifest, and draw your sword!

＠　Wraith (Shadow Servant Nero)

ーーーーーー。
ーーーーーーーーーーーー。

＠　Mashu

A potent aggregation of mana ... !?
This is --
This isn't just the shade of Servant, or a Wraith ...
It's almost as if ... it's something like a Demon God Pillar --

＠　Nero

The Fifth Emperor, Nero Claudius here entreats!
O Master of ours; O Gudako!
We ask that you lend us your strength! Though it be far too late --
Let that we might square away our debts by the edge of our sword!

＠　Gudako

１： Aah, leave it to me, Nero ... !
２： Happily, Lord Imperator!

***

＠　Nero

Wretched thing!
What purpose bears a player that refuses their exit!
We are that which hath abundantly thrived and thereon come to annihilation!
Death cannot be averted! The end is ever invariable!
It is thus that we sing!
It is thus that we shout!
We love therefore without regret; without surrender!
And ever yet, we welcome the curtain!

＠　Wraith (Shadow Servant Nero)

... aa ... I hear it ...
The voices of the city ... the Sixth ...

＠　Nero

... Farewell,
maiden who could not to "me" return.

＠　Gudako

１： Nero ...
２： "Me?"

＠　Nero

... umu.
'Twas a meaningless thought, spoken aloud.
Pay it no mind.
More importantly --
We must commend you, Gudako.
Much as we expected of our contractor! Your reliability is matchless!
By your aid was a disturbance to the peace of Rome ...
No, we suppose that it wasn't precisely 'qwelled' ...
If anything, it may have been disregarded outright ...
What loneliness ... 'twas somewhat a hollow victory, mayhaps ...
Nay, it is rather that --
unmistakeably, the citizens recognized the ill humour that we displayed, and so pretended ignorance to our toil!
Much as expected of our august self, and of the citizens of Rome!
Such is surely a feat of synergy yet unmatched within the History of Man!

＠　Gudako

１： Regardless of what happens ... positivity!
２： ... you're putting up a strong front!

＠　Nero

Fuu. Would it befit my standing as an Emperor if I were not so?
So long as the slightest hope exists, we shall laugh as if all is well.
Such is our way!
Be that we are ceaselessly struck down, we shall until all is exhausted climb again upright!
Hereon, we will offer to you the proof of this claim!
O Mashu; O Gudako.
'Twas by thine aid that this victory was earned.
In answer to the granting of this boon, we shall upon the stage of battle claim our glory as recompense.
Is it not yet time that we return to Chaldea, Master?
We endeavor that the land shall by our acts resound with an applause of ten thousand thunders!

Matters to consider or take note of:

a) Within normal spacetime, Servants can coexist with their living selves, but for reasons unknown, this is not the case with Singularities. In a singularity, "what is proper" and "what is stronger" take priority; and so, summoning Servant Nero into the Septem Singularity leads to the human version of Nero being annihilated. Is it because Singularities have less existential real estate to go around?

b) Nero speaks of having dreams. Do Servants in Chaldea sleep?

c) The Wraith existed during the Septem Campaign. Nero heard of the rumors then -- though it's unclear if it was human Nero or Servant Nero that heard of it (probably the latter, all things considered). The question is really, how can such a Wraith exist?

As of her death, Nero qualified as a Heroic Spirit, and so whichever iteration of local Nero ended up becoming the Wraith must have similarly qualified. The only possible justification is that bit where Nero claims that she might have stuck around in the waste forever if those soldiers hadn't turned up. Perhaps, the local iteration of Nero was quietly snuffed out due to Singularity mechanics, and so soldiers never chased after her?

On the other hand, Nero refers to her as "maiden when never returned to Me," whatever that means ...

d) Nero typically uses the personal pronoun 余 (yo, translated above as "we"), which is generally employed by the present holder of a throne; and the royal we, 我 (ware), in the form of 我が (wa ga, lit. "mine"). However, she breaks this trend on three occasions in this interlude:

うむ。私の死地だ。
Umu. 'Tis the place of my death.


あの兵士がいなければ私は今も、
Had those legionnaires not arrived, it is likely that I would have even now remained adrift,


ついぞ、「私」に戻る事のなかった少女よ。
maiden who could not to "me" return.

Also, during her recounting of the circumstances of her death, she refers to the Nero that died in third person -- subsequently stating that she isn't certain what passed through Nero's mind at the time of her death.

e) Mashu observes that the Wraith exists as "a potent gathering of Mana," and that its strength is comparable to that of a Demon Pillar -- even though it's just a random Wraith.

f) The Wraith mentioned something about a "6th," whatever the hell that is.

g) The history of Nero's demise that is known to Mashu explicitly differs from the generally accepted account of Nero's death in real history. For example:

Suetonius on Nero's Suicide

Finally, when his companions unanimously insisted on his trying to escape from the miserable fate threatening him, he ordered them to dig a grave at once, and then collect any pieces of marble that they could find and fetch wood and water for the disposal of the corps. As they bustled about obediently he muttered through his tears: "Dead! And so great an artist!"

A runner brought him a letter from Phaon. Nero tore it from the man's hands and read that, having been declared a public enemy by the Senate, he would be punished in 'ancient style' when arrested. He asked what 'ancient style' meant, and learned that the executioners stripped their victim naked, thrust his head into a wooden fork, and then flogged him to death with sticks. In terror he snatched up the two daggers which he brought along and tried their points; but threw them down again, protesting that the final hour had not yet come.

Then he begged Sporus to weep and mourn for him, but also begged one of the other three to set him an example by committing suicide first. He kept moaning about his cowardice, and muttering: 'How ugly and vulgar my life has become!' And then in Greek: 'This certainly is no credit to Nero, no credit at all,' and: 'Come pull yourself together, man!' By this time a troop of cavalry who had orders to take him alive were coming up the road. Nero gasped: 'Hark to the sound I hear! It is hooves of galloping horses.' Then, with the help of his scribe, Epaphroditos, he stabbed himself in the throat and was already half dead when a cavalry officer entered, pretending to have rushed to his rescue, and staunched the wound with his cloak. Nero muttered: 'Too late! But, ah, what fidelity!' He died, with his eyes glazed and bulging from their sockets, a sight which horrified everybody present. He had made his companions promise, whatever happened, not to let his head be cut off, but to have him buried all in one piece. Galba's freedman Icelus, who had been imprisoned when the first news came of the revolt and was now at liberty again, granted this indulgence.

They laid Nero on his pyre, dressed in gold-embroidered white robes which he had worn on 1 January. The funeral cost 2,000 gold pieces. Ecloge and Alexandria, his old nurses, helped Acte, his mistress, to carry the remains to the Pincian Hill, which can be seen form the Campus Martius.

h) All the way back here, they were making references to how life is meaningless without death.


i) Nero is stealing Shakespeare's thing about "ten thousand thunders."


j) The process which serves to merge a Singularity back into the canonical history is (by Mashu) referred to as the Corrective Force, as opposed to the Counter Force.

Marie Antoinette Interlude:

＠　Mashu

P- Please wait, Nero-san --
Um, we didn't come here with the intent to engage you in combat!
(Moreover, Nero-san is an authentic human, native to this era!
If she battles against a Heroic Spirit, it's unlikely that she'll emerge unscathed!)

＠　Nero

Mu? You lot --
Have we in some place met before?

＠　Dr. Roman

Hm? Ah, yes, that's right. The self-correction (修正, shuusei) of the era has advanced,
and so it would seem that she's already forgotten about us.

＠　Nero

Nay, your names alone I do recall.
Mashu and Gudako, was it not?

＠　Dr. Roman

Eh? So, she remembers, but doesn't remember?
If it's like this, it could be that she'll remember us by tomorrow ...

＠　Nero

So, you are Marie's companions, yes?
Good -- it is well that you come!
'Tis an incredible thing, but I have from this morning felt no pain within my skull!
In the fullness of our faculties, are there any capable of standing against us?

＠　Mashu

Wait --
Eh, what ... this is ... ?

＠　Gudako

１： What is it?
２： Mashu?

＠　Mashu

I'm detecting an immense amount of mana from Nero-san --
even though she shouldn't have been a Magus in life!

＠　Dr. Roman

H- huh? I'm reading the same thing on this end as well!
What is this? She has a mana signature (魔力反応, Maryoku Hannou) of equivalent standing to a Servant!
How can this be!?

＠　Marie Antoinette

Um? Yes?
What is it?

＠　Dr. Roman

Ah, we haven't yet explained the situation to Marie-sama!
Actually, it seems as if we'll be having a duel with the Emperor Nero!

＠　Marie Antoinette

Hm, is that so --
In that case, good luck to you, Gudako.

＠　Mashu

Eh, she's leaving it all to us!?

＠　Nero

Let that our match is begun!
May an applause of ten thousand thunders here descend!

＠　Mashu

Aah, there's no stopping her!
Engagement initiated -- !

--

＠　Mashu

... s- she's strong.
How can she be so strong, even as a human?

＠　Dr. Roman

And her mana stores (魔力量, Maryoku-Ryou, lit. "mana quantity") ... what is this?
Has the Emperor Nero undergone some manner of thaumaturgical aberration ... ?

＠　Nero

We are upon this day in perfect form!
May that this persists, the expanse of Roma shall hereafter yet grow forth!

Ergo, regarding the Nero that existed within "the self-correcting history":

a) In response to the arrival of Mashu, Gudako, Marie, and Fou-kun, Nero's headache vanished, and she was somehow able to exhibit mana stores on par with a Servant. This is in addition to the fact that Wraith Nero had a presence on par with a Demon God Pillar ...

b) Mashu says that Nero wasn't a magus in life, but note that in the description of Aestus Domus Aurea within Nero's profile, its method of manifestation is stated to be "a High Thaumaturgy similar to but different from a Reality Marble" (固有結界とは似て非なる大魔術であリ).

c) Note that Nero was afflicted by headaches throughout the Septem Singularity. Also, during the Singularity, there was nothing particularly outstanding about Nero's prana signature.

Monte Cristo Event, Chapter 5:

＠　Caligula

... O lost ones.
Hesitation and doubt are as matters decided by Man.
But though we so state, it is not our intent to offer up a self-justification.
Fu. Surprise is evident within your gaze.
Being that our lunacy derives of the favor of the Goddess of the Moon, it is at times let to fade.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible that our sanity is entirely restored, but we stand now within the depths of Hell (地獄の底, Jigoku no Soko, lit. "the bottom of Hell").
Here, you do escape even the sight of the Goddess.
... however, we who are absent of lunacy cannot our beloved child meet.
It is a matter beyond our agency.
We are of a flesh that can within the World Manifest (現界, genkai, lit. "manifest world / reality") actualize only in the Class of Berserker.
To actualize absent of lunacy, and to bring to bear the fullness of our faculties in communication are circumstances ultimately unpermitted.
Were that we be let to stand aside you disassociated of spirit and flesh,
we would to her so speak:
Aah, Nero --
Beloved child who art the living image of our sister Agrippina.
Somehow, by some means --
even if it be meager -- we desire only that you obtain contentment.
Be that madness and rage follow within our wake,
the path you walk cannot by our hand be lined with the roses of benediction.
... apologies. We intended to offer you counsel,
but these lips have uttered only of love for our niece.

---

＠　Gudako

１： (Nero's got it good ...)

＠　Caligula

... your thoughts are within your gaze self-evident.
Such would be the case. Aah, it is indeed so.

---

＠　Gudako

２： (I understand.)

＠　Caligula

Umu ... umu.

---

＠　Fou-kun

Fouu, kyau, kyauu!

＠　Caligula

Is it so, O beautiful Beast? Our apprehensions are as appropriate, then?

＠　Fou-kun

Fou, fou.

＠　Caligula

Such is true. My time here grows short.
And as such, we must to you grant counsel, Gudako.
-- know you of the desire to all-consume?
Of that for which satiation cannot arrive, even that feeding persists;
of a voracity alike to the hunger borne of starvation?
By expenditure, by waste -- 'tis an indulgent, fervent consumption that leaves nothing in its passing;
a surrendering of the flesh to the thirsts of the soul.
With such a desire, we are well-acquainted.
Or, perhaps, it was by said desire that we have come to be.
To devour; to expend; to hoard in accordance to the desires of the flesh, absent of love.
The Sin of Gluttony (暴食の罪, boushoku no tsumi).
Such was the Evil (悪性, akusei, lit. "evil nature") inherent to Rome.
... perhaps our very birth was itself an evil (悪, aku).
Aah, such a thing was indeed recorded of us in the histories of posterity.
Be it by the mischief of the Lunar Goddess or otherwise,
perhaps we were by birth inclined unto evil.
However, our soul as engraved within the History of Man was as a proper Heroic Spirit, absent the brand of the Anti-Hero. As to why this was so ...
Within our breast -- even if only in the slightest quantity --
there yet remains a sliver of love; we trust that this be the reason for our placement.
And as such --

---

＠　Avenger

I shall reveal now the identity of our principal this day.
He was Gluttony incarnate (暴食の具現, boushoku no gugen) --
the manifestation of that which covets every pleasure of this world,
which persists in insatiable consumption even upon devouring its fill.
Truly, an opponent of extreme simplicity,
absent the unnecessary quibbling over justifications beset upon us by our previous principal.
But overthinking the matter is unnecessary.
So long as you remain as you are, victory is assured.
... kill. It is fine that you merely continue to kill.

The Sin of Gluttony is the Evil inherent to Rome. Also, Caligula's insanity is apparently founded in the influence of Diana (Artemis?).

Nero Festa 2016:

＠　Romulus

-- nay. Let him be, Caesar.
Collect them to your heart's content, Caligula.
Such is the shape assumed by the desire of your heart, no?
As long as you so wish, it shall be as such.
If the matter of your desire be by battle obtained, then battle you must.
The same goes for you, Gudako.
If your desire is to obtain those Ascension Materials that are scarce, struggle and strive.
Roma (we) shall your battles endorse.
We permit it. Desire to your fill; and let us witness that you strive, love, and battle.
All of such be conduct worthy of praise; expressions of Romance (Roma) in true.
-- however, mind that your heart enters not unto the Domain of Gluttony (暴食の域, boushoku no iki).

[GundamFSN]

Uhh fallacies, you might want to spoiler that delicious loredump.

[Iceblade44]

Wow, Caligula talks like a professor, just more long winded. Also Caligula knew of Fou's true identity as a Beast? Thats interesting.

[Lily Emilio]

I made a theory about Mother Harlot will be Neroface so these lore is not exactly new to me, and her being able to mess with Manaka in the hanafuda game (eventhough it's a somewhat gag scene) just screams Nero riding the Beast of Revelation wank. But it's nice to see others talk about it too.

Also Caligula knew of Fou's true identity as a Beast? Thats interesting.

Not a Beast as in Beast class (ビースト) but beast (獣) like the chimeras and werwolves. Angra's bond CE made a clear distinction on those.
Unless you can make a tie to the 人類悪 then 獣 alone doesn't mean much, tho Fou turned out to be the IV Beast in the end.

[pandacmh]

Was just about to mention the difference between ビースト and 獣. Since Beast Class was officially introduced, translations are getting trickier since context is now more important than ever. Still- Very interesting to read the connection between Nero and the Beasts. Thanks for the translation, fallacies.

[fallacies]

Not a Beast as in Beast class (ビースト) but beast (獣) like the chimeras and werwolves. Angra's bond CE made a clear distinction on those.

Not necessarily:




FGO itself doesn't always observe the distinction.

[Mcjon01]

I don't think she's actually calling him a Beast there though just a monster. His reveal as Beast IV is treated as a twist.

[fallacies]

I don't think she's actually calling him a Beast there though just a monster. His reveal as Beast IV is treated as a twist.

Yeah, but she even guessed his trait -- up to and including the bit about transforming into a monster after feeding on human "????."
Yes, it's a joke, but the point is, just because 獣 doesn't always imply ビースト doesn't mean that it never does.

[Laserman]

You're amazing fallacies. Thank you so much!

[Lily Emilio]

Yes, it's a joke, but the point is, just because 獣 doesn't always imply ビースト doesn't mean that it never does.

Literally what I said in the very line under the line you quote.

- - - Updated - - -

We agree that one shouldn't get hyped every single time 獣 is mentioned, yes?

[Laserman]

Uhh fallacies, you might want to spoiler that delicious loredump.

Yeah, you might want to.

[fallacies]

Literally what I said in the very line under the line you quote.
We agree that one shouldn't get hyped every single time 獣 is mentioned, yes?

Maybe, but I don't agree that there's a "clear" distinction between those terms.

[Raylen Cypher]

So there was new dialogue huh.

[Lily Emilio]

Maybe, but I don't agree that there's a "clear" distinction between those terms.

Proto Cu's anti-beast is bonus damage vs 獣 trait.
Angra bond CE is bonus damage vs ビースト class.
ビースト class enemies don't always have 獣 trait.
Pretty clear to me. You can just go look at Tamamo Lancer's Valentine scene and see the distinction being made with MC's replies to her.

There already ppl thought Proto Arthur's 3rd skill work on Beast class enemies on reddit and I had to explain to them all the time so you know...just be careful with what you translate since the non-JP readers are very quick to jump into conclusions, especially the BEASTS these days.

[fallacies]

I made a theory about Mother Harlot will be Neroface so these lore is not exactly new to me, and her being able to mess with Manaka in the hanafuda game (eventhough it's a somewhat gag scene) just screams Nero riding the Beast of Revelation wank. But it's nice to see others talk about it too.

Anyhow, the point of the dump was mostly that Nero's behavior diverges from that within Extra, and there's something weird going on with the strength of her Wraith (which shouldn't exist) and her canonical-timeline self.

Proto Cu's anti-beast is bonus damage vs 獣 trait.
Angra bond CE is bonus damage vs ビースト class.
ビースト class enemies don't always have 獣 trait.
Pretty clear to me. You can just go look at Tamamo Lancer's Valentine scene and see the distinction being made with MC's replies to her.

The first part is in-game combat mechanics. I don't agree that there's a clear distinction in dialogue unless it's explicitly noted.

The vast majority of times that 獣 appears in text, it's some variation of 野獣/魔獣/幻獣/神獣/守護獣/獣人, or in some other context where it's immediately clear that it isn't ビースト (e.g. 半獣半人, 人食い獣, 獣性, 獣身, 害獣駆除, 獣の咆哮, 獣の流儀, 人間とは理性と知性を持つ獣の上位存在であり, etc). This accounts for something like 95% of appearances in the script or more.

That doesn't mean that 獣 is explicitly distinct from ビースト within the context of dialogue.

[asterism42]

Nero's a special snowflake? How boring.